To all of our Canadian readers out there, Happy Canada Day! In order to celebrate with our good friends north of the border, we’ve decided to share a list of our 10 favorite Canadian producers with you all.
A-Trak
A-Trak, born Alain Macklovitch, boasts one of the most impressive resumes in EDM – check it out. DJ, producer, turntablist, record executive, writer, and more spanning a career of over 20 years. Oh did we also mention that he’s the younger brother of David Macklovitch 1/2 of Chromeo?
Adventure Club
Montreal-based dubstep duo Adventure Club first burst ontp the EDM scene back in 2011 with a series of roaring remixes after starting out as a hardcore pop-punk band back in high school. Since then it’s been all hits for Christian Srigley and Leighton James.
deadmau5
Of all the Canadians on this list, deadmau5 certainly stands out as far and away Canada’s biggest ever import into the dance music world. The legendary producer continues to put out music at a frantic pace while he’s not busy headlining festivals like Spring Awakening, EDC Mexico, EDC Japan, EDC China, and Paradiso to just name a few from earlier this year.
Ekali
Like Adventure Club, Nathan Shaw of Ekali also started out in the band-world as the bassist for Juno-award winning band Said The Whale. A few years back he made the permanent switch to EDM and since then he’s really established himself as one of the leaders in the trap and bass world with his high-energy shows and beloved “Awakening” mix series.
Excision
Perhaps the biggest single name in dubstep right now, sorry Skrillex, might be that of Kelowna’s very own Excision. Year after year he’s continued to champion the more aggressive side of bass music culminating in tens of thousands of tickets sold each year on his annual The Paradox tour series which first premiered in 2015 plus a successful festival property launch in Lost Lands last year which will be returning this fall.
Pomo
Montreal-based vibe maker Pomo might not be a conventional EDM producer, but he’s certainly one of our favorite Canadian producers in electronic music which qualifies him for this list in our eyes. Best known for his collaborations with fellow Montreal buddy KAYTRANADA and his releases on HW&W Recordings, Pomo has quietly become one of our favorite producers in the funk, R&B and electronic crossover space.
Rezz
From starting out as a fan of EDM who taught herself to producer after catching fellow Canuck Deadmau5 at HARD Day of the Dead 2013 to headlining Red Rocks later this year, Rezz’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. She’s right on the cusp of releasing her sophomore album and touring with a new stage setup later in the year.
SNAILS
Like a few others on this list, vomitstep purveyor SNAILS hails from Montreal, Quebec with his first few records coming via Canadian label Kannibalen Records in 2012. Since then he’s out out a whole host of records an his debut album earlier in the year and continues to wow dubstep fans alike with his own Red Rocks festival series Sluggtopia which is due for its sophomore edition later this ear.
Vincent
Unlike most others on this list, we’re fairly certain that Vincent’s best work has yet to come. The talented trap producer is a massive name in the underground scene thanks to a potent combination of originals and remixes/bootlegs alike including one of “Paris” by The Chainsmokers which has received close to 7 million streams on SoundCloud alone.
Zeds Dead
Dubstep icons Zeds Dead have been throwing parties and making waves in Toronto for over a decade now and they’re still going strong judging by the massive Deadbeats Tour that the duo currently finds themselves on playing in rooms for thousands of fans in each market including two nights at Red Rocks and Chicago’s famed Aragon Ballroom respectively.
